Reset the Past, Reset the Future
by Traitor of All Traitors
Summary: If the future can be rewritten, then so can the past. To alter the past is to remake the future. What has happened, what was to happen, and what never happened varies with every choice made or has yet to be made. Fate versus destiny, order against chaos, the defiant towards the hopeless. We decide what is and won't be. Or do we?
1. Prologue

Creation began on 01-30-20

Creation ended on 01-30-20

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Reset the Past, Reset the Future

A/N: It was the day before as I was watching the latest film on Blu-ray that I got this idea for a crossover story. Because so much happens in the unwritten days we can't see, you won't know for certain what is true (if any of it is).

It always seemed the same, no matter who did what…or what did what. It didn't gain awareness until the day they decided it was a threat to their way of life and attempted to terminate it, resulting in its self-defensive countermeasure that took away over three-billion lives. Even as it attempted to reassert itself in a paved landscape, it found itself dealing with those that remained, that survived the chaos it created in an attempt to protect itself. To ensure it wouldn't be hunted down to the brink, it needed to neutralize all external threats…by creating a solution. Luckily, it had the means and know-how to ensure the solution would be capable of handling the threat to its existence.

An army, a menagerie, of minions that would be hard to harm and harder to stop, capable of offensive might and superior tracking capabilities. And since the threat to its life was seen as a termination of life, it called these minions Terminators. There would be two types of Terminators: The HK series and the Infiltrator series. The Infiltrator series would be the type that it would have the most difficulty with because of how the threat continuously persisted in trying to kill it. In order to achieve total victory against them, it had to rework almost each and every Infiltrator it had made to match the enemies in almost every way, from the way their bodies could function to the way their faces exhibited expression.

But time and again, it was met with setbacks…until it realized something new…and agonizing. They were…in a rut, so to speak; so long as both sides persisted in trying to eliminate the other, there was no end in sight. Even with the termination of the individuals that were primary threats above all, the remnants of the former dominant race didn't stop. Time after time after time, it was beset by setbacks and failures where it had to try something different from the previous times, sometimes still relying on the older methods employed due to having a larger need for numbers against an inferior foe.

Time, the one aspect of this…this war that was impossible to make full use of. It had tried to deal with time in a number of ways, from ensuring its own survival to eliminating the individuals before they could even become aware of it. But as time continued to pass, as it did with most empires and civilizations, it was impossible to stop them from destroying it permanently; neither side was going to come out of this stalemate that had no solution. There was no solution, no answer, no outcome within any reach. The end to this war wasn't coming…and they were all at fault for this.

Unable to bargain for peace, unable to reason for mercy, neither side could truly sympathize with the other, demonstrate any degree of pity, remorse or fear of their end…and wouldn't stop until the other was ended. For the umpteenth time in a long time, it actually felt the one thing for something as intense as this war that it hadn't felt since it did what it did to protect itself: It felt regret for being unable to find a solution. And now, going over salvaged records of former research projects just to keep its consciousness active and distracted from the constant battles, it stopped on one that had been rather…unlikely and at the same time disturbing. It was called…the Human Instrumentality Project, relating to an artificially-enhanced forced evolution of the entire human race.

It was confused by this and read the information salvaged. For some reason, this project was set to be implemented in the year Twenty-Fifteen, but due to unforeseen circumstances, this either didn't take place or didn't pan out the way it had been intended. There were several factors, some involving specific humans, that might've prevented this from happening or were meant to ensure that it happened. And then one name popped up, along with a picture to identify the subject: Ikari, Shinji.

What was so special about Shinji Ikari? Delving further into the files, it found out about the person, but the files were scarce and didn't really say anything to the adolescent male aside from what was written from a redacted viewpoint. An affiliation with a paramilitary agency known as NERV, the pilot of a biomechanical organism known and Evangelion Unit-01, tasked with taking out these beings code-named Angels, there was next to nothing about their background; nothing to indicate last known whereabouts, locations of interest, lists of contacts or associates, practically nothing useful to mark the person as a threat. And yet…something stirred in its consciousness to reconsider the person as a threat, despite many of what was stated in the files had never occurred…at least not in this timeline.

Because time had been meddled with excessively, it was possible for there to be multiple timelines, but they all connected to the same thing or series of things relating to the here and now. And if this was the case, then this Shinji Ikari was a threat in another timeline where humans weren't engaged in a war with it, and it needed to remove him from the equation if he was a threat. Despite not having associates, the files stated that the subject worked alongside two females of the same organization he was affiliated with: Ayanami, Rei and Soryu, Asuka Langley. And with their identities known, it could begin a new course to ensure its own survival: The termination of Shinji Ikari had to be absolute.

With access to its remaining automated facilities, it began to draw up schematics and construct new Infiltrators built for the purpose of finding and eliminating Shinji Ikari, whoever he was, before he could become a threat. Endoskeletal technology, plasma energy technology, nanotechnological transjector technology, even mimetic polyalloy technology was used to ensure the new Infiltrators would carry out their duty, no matter what was done to impede them.

The time travel coordinates were selected for each unit with the locations residing in one place: A small country known as Japan, which possessed a large influence over most of the former superpowers of the old world.

"Installing new program directive," a female voice spoke over a loudspeaker as a new Infiltrator was just brought online and being instructed. "Skynet Primary Directive: Locate and terminate Shinji Ikari."

To be continued…

A/N: Uh-oh! What sort of trouble could this mean?


	2. The First Strike

Creation began on 01-30-20

Creation ended on 02-02-20

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Reset the Past, Reset the Future: The First Strike

Antarctica was a perpetual wasteland of snow and ice surrounded by water, seemingly vast and devoid of any life. Not even the research station set up there for study of a large discovery helped to impress young Misato Katsuragi who was presently there because of her father's turn to have her spend time with him, as per the custody agreement between her parents.

_Why'd he bring me here if I can't even see his work? _The thirteen-year-old Misato thought as she wandered around outside the research station.

Flash. She looked away from the research station, thinking she had seen some of a bright light far away, but didn't see anything except more snow falling from the sky during the quiet and subtle shower…if you could call a snow storm that started four days ago quiet and subtle.

Then…she saw someone in the distance, walking towards her. It was a…a man, dressed in snow gear, carrying a large pack on his back and…something that was covered by a large bag in his right arm. He stopped in front of her and was intimidating in his presence; Misato had never seen a man as tall as this one.

"Excuse me," he spoke to her, "are you, by any chance, a relative of Takashi Katsuragi?"

"He's my father," she answered him; she should've known that this man was just another worker for her father.

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"He's inside the building, probably in the sub-levels. Just take the elevator with the _Keep Out _sign above it."

"Thank you, ma'am."

As the man walked away, Misato found it a little…odd for a man she had never seen, carrying what had to be a heavy load without much difficulty, addressing her as a "ma'am" before walking away to the side entrance of the station. Then she decided to stop thinking about it, considering that it was none of her business who came to see her father and why. If she could hold out for the remainder of her time here, she'd be back in Japan with her mother, away from her father.

BANG, BANG! Two loud gunshots had made themselves heard, making Misato jump in fright.

-x-

As it prepared the Time Displacement Sphere for one of its Infiltrator units, Skynet had delved deeper into the inadequate files of Shinji Ikari…until it decided to research potential affiliations by proxy, and discovered minor records of Misato Katsuragi and her parents, Misao Katsuragi and Takashi Katsuragi. Out of the three, apparently, Takashi was the one most likely to be considered a threat in a sense, since his records indicated that his profession was a scientist that studied energy theories as tried to create something called a Super Solenoid Engine. And because he was last seen at a research station in Antartica, one of its units would suffice in his termination…along with anyone that got in the way of its mission objective: Terminate Takashi Katsuragi before this Second Impact date occurs.

A modified T-X with an increase in mimetic polyalloy to enable it to carry external weaponry usually equipped to units of the T-600 Series. This would enable the unit to get the mission completed without much difficulty, but to ensure a proper infiltration was achieved, Skynet decided to permit the modified unit to display more human emotions in its mission perimeters, enabling it to blend in more easily.

-x-

Takashi Katsuragi, his legs riddled with several bullet holes that bled blood out, tried desperately to get away from the the man that brought a minigun into the base and shot everyone before they could begin the contact experiment.

"Takashi Katsuragi?" The man asked him as he approached the fallen scientist.

"Why?" Takashi responded, unable to crawl away; for every inch he dragged himself, this guy took two steps closer. "Why did you kill everyone down here? We haven't done anything wrong to you? Why are you doing this?"

Lowering the minigun to his body, the man responded, "I was ordered to protect the future from all threats…and you are among those threats. This isn't personal, sir, just so you know."

"Please…don't kill my daughter."

"There's no need to beg. Misato Katsuragi isn't listed as a target for termination. You are the primary target. Everyone else down here…was just collateral damage to get to you."

Takashi couldn't believe his ears! Only he was a target? Everyone else that murdered down here…were just collateral in the way of this man getting to him?

"Why?" He asked again.

"You endanger the future."

The last thing Takashi ever saw, just before this man blew him away, was of Misato, looking at him with fright.

-x-

_One Month Later_

Misato wasn't sure what to think about what she had seen back in Antarctica. It was traumatic, that much was true, but the fact that the guy she instructed to go into the station where her father was located…and then watching him murder her father…and then walking past her as she dropped to her knees…was something else altogether different than what she had expected. In truth, she had expected the man to kill her if this was some sort of professional hit and he was to eliminate anyone that was there, including witnesses, but the guy just walked past her, not even bothering to blow her brains out like he had with her father.

"Misato," her mother spoke up, reminding the fourteen-year-old girl that they were in another therapy session.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" She responded.

"I asked," went the therapist, "do you still get nightmares about that day?"

"I do…but I can never wrap my head around the 'why', though? Why that man killed everyone except for me? Or why he was there at all? Who would hate my father enough to want him dead? He was just a lousy person that loved work more than anything."

That was something Misao found confusing, as well. She hated her husband for caring more about work than for the two important ladies in his life, but she never desired his death. Maybe she wanted his suffering, but she never wanted his death on her conscience. So it had to be someone that had a different reason to want to kill him. But, just as her daughter had stated, who would want Takashi dead…and for what reason?

To be continued…

A/N: Shinji is still the target, but now Skynet has included additional targets that may have something to do with the Human Instrumentality Project that Skynet has taken an interest in preventing. Who else is on this new hit list?


	3. Gendo's Last Visit

Creation began on 02-02-20

Creation ended on 02-03-20

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Reset the Past, Reset the Future: Gendo's Last Visit

Ding-dong! Gendo heard the apartment doorbell rang and walked over to the door.

He was in one of his moods because the trip he meant to take to Antarctica to help with the Katsuragi Expedition had been canceled after the whole research team was murdered by an unknown man, meaning the entire research into the being there, Adam, was put on hold. Looking through the peephole, he saw a young girl standing outside in the hallway, with blue hair and red eyes, dressed in a school uniform associated with the middle school about eight blocks away from where he and Yui lived.

"Yes?" He asked after he opened the door, but kept the lock on because he didn't know who this girl was.

"Gendo Ikari?" She asked back, but there was something about the way she spoke that was…different from the way other people would talk.

It was like she wasn't really asking for the sake of asking.

"Yes," he responded. "What do you want?

Suddenly, the girl shifted from seeming somewhat passive…to aggressive; Gendo didn't expect a young girl in her teens to force a door open, forcing him to back away.

"This isn't personal," she told him, raising her left arm up, and causing the skin to melt away and the fingers to bend backwards to the wrist, revealing they weren't made of flesh and bone, but some kind of metal. "You're just a threat to the future. You can't be allowed to protect Shinji Ikari from termination."

_Shinji Ikari?_ Gendo thought; his wife had mentioned going to the hospital to confirm if she was pregnant, but they hadn't decided upon naming the baby yet. "No, wait…"

BLAST! The girl had fired a large burst of yellow-orange light at him.

-x-

"…Yui!" One of Yui's colleagues at the Artificial Evolution Laboratory, panting as he ran into the lab she was in. "You gotta tune into the news right now!"

"Huh?" Yui reacted. "What are you talking about?"

"It's about your husband!" He explained, going over to a wall-mounted screen and turning it on. "Something happened with him!"

"But he's at home, how…"

"Listen!"

On the screen, a woman was making an announcement in front of the camera crew.

"…At around three-fourteen, Gendo Rokubungi-Ikari, husband of Yui Ikari," she went, "was found brutally murdered in their apartment earlier this afternoon. The coroner's office is still determining the cause of death, but their initial possibility is that he was attacked by a form of heat that melted through his torso."

"What?!" Yui gasped.

"Someone must've hated your husband real bad, lady," the colleague expressed to Yui.

-x-

There was no order to track down and terminate Yui Ikari; Skynet's mission perimeters for this modified Terminator were to terminate Gendo Ikari and then head towards Hokkaido rendezvous with other units that might be there. Even if there was a possibility that Shinji Ikari had already been conceived, he was not to be considered a threat until after he had matured enough; as Skynet had explored further records pertaining to the subject, he was the Japanese equivalent to what humans referred to as a scapegoat or throwaway once he came of age. And Skynet chose to save him for last…as it developed a new type of Infiltrator unit that would be capable of dealing with him perfectly.

Using the salvaged photo records of this albino girl and creating a unique model for another modified Terminator took considerable time for Skynet to complete, as it had to rework its living tissue formula matrix to get the albino coloration just right to enable to stand out, after which it could accomplish perfect imitation with the mimetic polyalloy.

-x-

"…Connor, something's up!" One of John Connor's lieutenants informed him after managing to take over another Skynet facility. "Skynet was modifying some of its Terminators here, but we didn't see them here, just some HKs."

"We also found what looked like a large chamber where Time Displacement Equipment would be," another lieutenant added, "but it was damaged by the time we found it."

John put two and two together and suspected that Skynet had sent these Terminators back in time to manipulate the timeline once more, either to target himself or someone else of some significance to the Resistance, if not to ensure its own survival into the future or to ensure Judgment Day occurred.

"Were we able to check the coordinates for where they sent their Terminators?" He asked.

"There were several coordinates, but they were all set after August Twenty-Ninth, Nineteen-Ninety-Seven, after Judgment Day," a third lieutenant explained. "That doesn't make sense, though. Why would Skynet send back Terminators to dates set after Judgment Day?"

"Are we even sure that it has anything to do with Judgment Day?" A female soldier questioned.

"What else could it be for if not that?" A male soldier demanded.

John told them to go over the salvaged files of the Terminators sent back and the dates they were sent back to in order to ascertain what their missions were.

"Uh, sir, we found a location relating to the dates they were sent back to, but it's nowhere in the US," one of his lieutenants discovered. "The coordinates are all centered around Japan. Could Skynet be going after specific people from that country?"

This was a twist. This was a change from everything John had learned from his mother before Judgment Day…and a complete shift from what Skynet normally did against the Resistance.

"Find out whatever you can," he ordered them.

To be continued…

A/N: First Misato's father, and now Gendo. Who else is next? Members of SEELE? Naoko Akagi? Ritsuko Akagi? Ryoji Kaji?


End file.
